Athletics-Hooker feeling good after getting airborne in Rome

May 31, 2012|Reuters

June 1 (Reuters) - Australia's Olympic pole vault championSteve Hooker said he was feeling "really, really good" afterfinally getting off the ground in international competition forthe first time this year.

The 29-year-old only managed one good jump at 5.42 metres tofinish joint sixth in Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Romebut that was a marked improvement on his previous outing inShanghai, where he failed to get into the air in three attempts.

Hooker has been battling psychological problems he comparesto the "yips" golfers suffer and only made the qualifying heightfor the London Games (5.72m) last month at an event organised bya sponsor in Western Australia.

The former world champion's evening in Rome ended with threefailed attempts at 5.60m, well shy of his personal best of6.06m, but Hooker declared himself satisfied with the progresshe was making.

"I've come here and I've done some good training," he saidin an Athletics Australia release. "The body is feeling good andI'm working with the physio over here.

"I had a really, really good warm-up. Everything wentaccording to plan up until 5.60m where I had that stop on thefirst attempt, which probably cost me.

"For me today it was all about feeling good. Yesterday Ifelt bad in warm-up but today I felt really, really good.

"I probably made one mistake today at 5.60m and that'ssomething I've got to work on for my next competition which is astreet meet in Munich."